Arab quartet says US-Qatari terror accord 'insufficient'

Middle East & North Africa2017-07-12

An agreement between Qatar and the United States on
combating terror funding is &quot;insufficient&quot;, and the sanctions on Qatar
remain, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates&nbsp;said
in a joint statement on Tuesday.The memorandum of
understanding announced in Doha during a visit by US Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson is &quot;the result of pressure and repeated calls over the
past years by the four states and their partners upon Qatar to stop
supporting terrorism,&quot; said the Arab quartet.&quot;This step is insufficient,&quot; said the statement carried
by Saudi state news agency SPA, adding that the four states would
&quot;carefully monitor the seriousness of Qatari authorities in combating
all forms of financing, supporting and harboring terrorism.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;Qatar
should completely and finally stop these activities and implement the
list of 13 fair and legitimate demands, in addition to any demands that
the four nations may later announce,&quot; the quartet said.Among
the 13 demands by the Arab bloc are the closure of Qatar&#39;s
government-controlled TV news channel Al Jazeera, the termination of a
Turkish military base in Qatar and the severance of ties with Iran.The
statement claimed that &quot;the Qatari authorities have consistently
negated all their agreements and commitments, including the Riyadh
Agreement in 2013, which triggered the withdrawal of ambassadors from
Doha.&quot;&nbsp;The ambassadors returned after Qatar signed the supplementary agreement in 2014.&nbsp;&quot;However,
Doha has continued to meddle in the internal affairs of states, and has
incited, colluded and harbored terrorists, funded terror operations,
and spread messages of hatred and extremism,&quot; said the statement.The
four nations affirmed that the said &quot;measures&quot; will remain in place
until the Qatari authorities commit themselves &quot;to fully implement these
fair demands, which seek to counter terrorism and realize stability and
security in the region.&quot;The four Arab nations have
implemented a sea, land and air embargo against Qatar since June 6 and
expelled all Qatari citizens from their countries, with the exception of
those being granted an exception due to family relations with nationals
on humanitarian reasons.&nbsp;

An agreement between Qatar and the United States on
combating terror funding is "insufficient", and the sanctions on Qatar
remain, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates said
in a joint statement on Tuesday.

The memorandum of
understanding announced in Doha during a visit by US Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson is "the result of pressure and repeated calls over the
past years by the four states and their partners upon Qatar to stop
supporting terrorism," said the Arab quartet.

"This step is insufficient," said the statement carried
by Saudi state news agency SPA, adding that the four states would
"carefully monitor the seriousness of Qatari authorities in combating
all forms of financing, supporting and harboring terrorism."

"Qatar
should completely and finally stop these activities and implement the
list of 13 fair and legitimate demands, in addition to any demands that
the four nations may later announce," the quartet said.

Among
the 13 demands by the Arab bloc are the closure of Qatar's
government-controlled TV news channel Al Jazeera, the termination of a
Turkish military base in Qatar and the severance of ties with Iran.

The
statement claimed that "the Qatari authorities have consistently
negated all their agreements and commitments, including the Riyadh
Agreement in 2013, which triggered the withdrawal of ambassadors from
Doha."

The ambassadors returned after Qatar signed the supplementary agreement in 2014.

"However,
Doha has continued to meddle in the internal affairs of states, and has
incited, colluded and harbored terrorists, funded terror operations,
and spread messages of hatred and extremism," said the statement.

The
four nations affirmed that the said "measures" will remain in place
until the Qatari authorities commit themselves "to fully implement these
fair demands, which seek to counter terrorism and realize stability and
security in the region."

The four Arab nations have
implemented a sea, land and air embargo against Qatar since June 6 and
expelled all Qatari citizens from their countries, with the exception of
those being granted an exception due to family relations with nationals
on humanitarian reasons.